Hi everyone, anybody else have trouble with thi;
Our lovely 3yr old Charlie has become very very bad tempered ever since we have put him onto reduced food due to him becoming overweight; he now lives purley for food and after eating becomes very aggressive with growling and snarling when moved from the kitchen as he expects more food, He endlessly hunts for more food and will eat basically anything he finds. plastic straws, coasters, etc and is constantly a grumpy dog, our other cavvie is the exact opposite and has to be made to eat his food !!!. Help please

Tania

21st May 2010, 11:55 AM

What are you feeding him and how much?

Charlifarley

21st May 2010, 12:06 PM

Could you divert him after his meal with raw carrot chunks to chew on? Or give him some rice cakes, broken down to smallish pieces? This would keep him busy for a while and yet keep him feeling he is getting some food? Or maybe give him a kong in his crate/own space?
It's horrible when they become food obsessed and its tough, because they don't realise you are restricting them for their own good.:rolleyes:

quoman

21st May 2010, 12:15 PM

Thanks for the replies. we're giving him the recommended amount (Pedigree small dog dry plus some wet mixer), its just as one reply has said he's become food obsessed, its all he wants, when he's not eating he's asleep apart from his walk time which is another issue as he goes absolutly crazy and barks and turns circles and tugs like mad on his lead, again the exact opossite of Max who dutyfully trots along. I think maybe we just have a 'mad cavvie' !!!

sins

21st May 2010, 12:31 PM

No,you don't just have a mad cavalier:p.
We've had Daisy on reduced amounts of food for the last three weeks as she's gained a extra few pounds since she was spayed in January.She's very determined over food and will growl and snarl over scraps and crumbs.Just feed them separately and persist with the extra exercise.
At the moment we're fattening one and starving another in our house:D.
The idea of stuffing a kong is a good one,it can take him a while to extract the food.
My mother has a cavalier who's permanently on a diet.She recommends a hard kibble like Burns as it takes him longer to crunch through the pellets and you can supplement his diet with vegetable pieces.I know it's frustrating at the moment but keep up the good work.
Sins

Nicki

21st May 2010, 12:33 PM

I would strongly suggest that you also arrange a vet check to make sure that there is no reason for Charlie's grumpiness.

This could easily escalate into a big problem...could you perhaps feed him somewhere different to break the pattern?

I think I would change Charlie over to Burns dry chicken and rice, I found that tends to fill them up a bit so they are not so hungry. You can divide each meal into two, soak half and then mix with the dry half - they tend to feel more full then as the soaked kibble fills the tummy up a bit.

The wet mixer is just added calories so I would stop that straight away.

You can make food last longer, perhaps putting it into a Kong or a Buster cube - or even a box filled with scrunched up newspaper, anything to make it last longer {obviously the dry bits!!, although you can push soaked kibble into a kong}

You may need to separate the dogs if Charlie is possessive over food.

You can also give raw veg - carrot is great as the chewing helps, it also tends to pass through undigested! Also frozen sweetcorn.

Rice cakes are the favourite treat in this house!

BURNS was far more effective than any of the vet prescription foods for us when keeping weight off of a neutered Cavalier.

Don't forget that exercise is a huge help in losing weight - and remember that the extra weight is extremely dangerous for a Cavalier, not just for their joints but for their heart.

Have a look at this - the pictures and info are at page 5 on this pdf file. (Laura Lang's Roycroft site)

With walking, take Charlie on his own and do not move forward whilst he is barking - just stop dead. When he is quiet, move - but if he barks, stop again. It takes a while for them to learn sometimes but eventually he will realise that if he is barking, he doesn't get to move and that makes walks more enjoyable for all of you.

Does he have a good recall? Could he get some free running?

HTH - and good luck, most of us have been through this at some point!!

Sandrac

21st May 2010, 01:09 PM

BURNS was far more effective than any of the vet prescription foods for us when keeping weight off of a neutered Cavalier.

I agree, Minnie is on Burns chicken & rice and that keeps her at a good stable weight.

Cinders is on Burns High Oats - she went on that to lose weight and it worked without her feeling hungry as it fills them up more.

waldor

21st May 2010, 02:51 PM

There is a disease or syndrome that some humans get, where they have the feeling of hunger and starvation ~all~ the time. Saw something about this on Oprah, years ago, and forget the name of it. Is it possible dogs can have it, too?

Zumie05

21st May 2010, 09:42 PM

Could you try feeding some plain pureed canned pumpkin after his reduced meal? That will help his little tummy feel more full and won't add too many extra calories. He will think it is a special treat!

Nicki

21st May 2010, 10:15 PM

Waldor, I think the Syndrome you are referring to is Prader Willi Syndrome - I can't find anything to suggest that it also affects dogs though.

Zumieo5 - unfortunately we can't get canned pumpkin in the UK :confused: I buy some in October when they are in the shops, cook them and freeze portions ;)

matties mum

22nd May 2010, 12:09 AM

I would take him to the vet if I was you and I would suggest hills presiption diet RD my Barney is on this with just a bit of vet food When he went on to this he thought it was his birthday because he had alot more diet food than was nomal
---Aileen

Erin2854

22nd May 2010, 07:12 AM

I would suggest taking him off of Pedigree, it has tons of fillers, corn etc. Switching to a higher quality food (with more protein) has more nutritional value and will stay with him longer so he's not so hungry. Also try mixing in canned green beans into his food. Its extremely low in calories and will make him feel full longer

mellie

22nd May 2010, 07:43 AM

Yes, definetly change the Pedigree food! It does have too many fillers, that are not healthy, as well as adds weight. I supplement my "food obcessed caviliers" food with frozen green beans. She LOVES them. She would almost rather have those than the food! I also look for low-fat treats. Good luck with your weight management! ;)

LucyDog

26th May 2010, 11:44 PM

Lucy, my Blenheim is also a bit of a porker and I have tried a variety of low calorie dog foods with not much success as she would always seem starving afterward. I also found the lower fat diet seemed to dry out her coat. So, for awhile I was mixing her reduced calorie food with regular food and adding carrots and green beans to give her some extra filler. Then I found a new food that is so much better, although I am not sure if it is available in the UK or not. It is made by Wellness and it is called Core Reduced Fat. It is grain free and high protein and my dogs have been so much happier since I switched to it because I can feed them more than I could on regular calorie food and they are not gaining weight. Their coats look shiny and healthy. I know I sound like an advertisement for this food, but seriously I love it. It is expensive though. I think I bought a new small bag today it was like $14.00 for 4lb or something like that.